GEORGE TOWN: George Town added another feather to its cap when it made it into the list of "The 10 Best Destinations for Digital Nomads" recently.
George Town came in fourth after Da Nang in Vietnam and Cancun and Merida in Mexico with good cost of living, ample co-working spaces, good level of free Wi-Fi and friendliness.
However, traffic safety, population density and internet speed ranked lower.
The survey carried out by Storage Cafe, an online platform that lists self-storage units for rent, polled a number of digital nomads to whip up the list of the best destinations for remote workers.
It conducted research on the 100 most recommended locations based on 20 factors such as cost of living, quality of life, friendliness to foreigners, internet infrastructure, safety, healthcare, air pollution and entertainment.
In an article published on www.storagecafe.com yesterday, its writer Francis Chantree said digital nomad lifestyle had become much more attractive in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic as working online became increasingly popular and doable even in industries otherwise regarded as office-dependent.
On George Town, Chantree said: "Locations such as Vietnam's Da Nang and Malaysia's George Town are very chilled and offer good value for money, while Bali and Colombia's Medellin are recommended for their friendliness and laidback vibe, which seems to be reflected in the scores.
"While renowned destinations in Thailand and Bali performed commendably — and our survey respondents particularly recommended such places for their food — it may be their popularity is taking a toll on how comfortable it is to live there now.
"Digital nomads will want to know not only which places were popular but which will be the best in the future. Chiang Mai, for instance, has air pollution problems these days, registering a much worse score for that than all but one of our top 20 cities.
"Many governments and tourist boards want to spread the load by directing nomads to places with better air and less burdened infrastructures, which pushes other destinations up the popularity ranking before too long.
"Also, with internet provision being a big factor, nomads' discovery of the free Wifi we see in highly ranked Vietnamese, Malaysian and Mexican destinations, for example, may signal imminent boosts in their fortunes," he added.
Chantree is a senior editor and writer for US-based self storage search portal STORAGECafé, with extensive experience writing for a variety of publications and expertise of economics and business issues gained from more than a decade providing information to the real estate industry.
Meanwhile, state Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin took to his Facebook page to share the good news.
"We made it into the list again," he said, sharing an article published today by Roadtrippers.asia with the headline "Georgetown, DaNang and Koh Phangan listed as Top 10 Best cities for Digital Nomads".
Last year, CNN Travel, CNN International's new travel website, named Penang as one of 17 Asia's best destinations to consider for the next adventure, singling it out as a 'Mecca' for food and architecture lovers.
On July 13, 2018, Bangkok-based CNN Travel senior producer Karla Cripps, in her article "George Town, Penang: Asia's greatest street food city?" wrote at length on Penang's street food culture and the state as an eater's paradise.